Portraits of the rich and powerful are proof that both the sitter and the artist have arrived. Artist Julian La Trobe would like Angelenos to know he has arrived--from San Francisco, where for five years he has been painting portraits of that city's elite society crowd. Now, seeking to stretch his reputation south, he has rented an apartment in Hollywood--a 1920s-vintage domicile near the Hollywood Bowl--with barrel vaulted ceilings and a secret passageway that leads up to a tower.

As millionaires go, Thomas David Franklin is a rare bird indeed. He doesn't come from money: When he was born 32 years ago, his parents lived in a Baltimore housing project and the rest of his childhood was spent in working-class Dundalk. He doesn't spend much money: He drives around Portland in a modest four-wheel-drive vehicle, owns only one piece of jewelry, lives in a walk-up apartment and answers his own phone with the gentle greeting, "Hi, this is David."

Most legal historians consider Earl Rogers the greatest criminal defense lawyer ever to practice in Los Angeles. Most social historians regard the Canfields as one of the most star-crossed families ever to blaze across the pages of the city's social register.

They are the "Quillionaires," the lucky ones who have struck it rich from holdings in one of the country's hottest stocks, Qualcomm Inc., and they are out buying houses and imported cars, giving to local causes and elevating the San Diego economy. They owe their newfound wealth to the stunning rise in Qualcomm's stock price to $156.44 from $6.50 over the last year, the fifth-largest gain of any U.S. company.

Donald J. Trump is no longer among the wealthiest 400 Americans and may even have a net worth of zero. So says Forbes magazine, which on Monday released its annual list of the super-rich, a list that makes it clear that the controversial developer and other 1980s high-flyers have crash-landed. A notable exception was Metromedia founder John Kluge. The rags-to-riches Kluge expanded his fortune by $400 million to a staggering $5.

Scrunched in the passenger seat of a sea-green Jaguar, Paul Bartel seemed ill at ease. The pudgy, 50-year-old movie director stared out the window as his producer, James Katz, drove to lunch, leaving behind the huge Brentwood mansion that is serving as the set for his new film, "Scenes From the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills." Suddenly Bartel swiveled around, eyeing his visitor in the back seat. "Now the truth can be told," he hissed conspiratorially.

What's the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions yacht clubs? Do you think about the America's Cup or about Dr. I. M. Rich sipping Dom Perignon and eating caviar while playing in the water with his million-dollar toy? Do you think about the Congressional Cup and other regattas or about some millionaire drifting along in I Have More Money Than You, a mile-long boat with more luxuries than some Caribbean nations?

The Internal Revenue Service on Thursday announced plans to focus more attention on high-income individuals and those involved in tax avoidance schemes. The intent is to uncover those who avoid taxes and hide income, instead of just checking returns for mistakes or simple omissions. IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti said the aim is to free up auditors to focus on such areas as tax shelters, offshore credit cards used to hide income and wealthy people who fail to file returns.

Re "A split of haves and have mores," April 28 The Laguna Beach Unified School District has an inequitable funding problem similar to the one faced by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, which seeks to distribute money donated by wealthier parents to less well-off campuses. Enthusiastic parents in my district collect millions for our already incredibly wealthy school district. I routinely propose sharing our funds with our much less wealthy neighbors in Santa Ana, but this suggestion is met with either blank stares or nervous laughter.